New dog, old tricks —

DRM-free music, next-day downloads for TV on tap for BlackBerry World

RIM releases full list of BlackBerry World content partners

We've already reported that RIM will be partnering with 7digital for its content offerings, but the company has released more details about exactly what it will offer when the new BlackBerry 10 operating system goes live.

BlackBerry World, previously BlackBerry App World, will include an "extensive catalog of songs." Movies will be made available in the digital storefront the same day they are available elsewhere. And like iTunes and Amazon Video, individual episodes of TV series will also become available the day after they air on TV.

20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount PIctures, and The Walt Disney Studios are among the studios offering content on BlackBerry World. Users will also be able to download DRM-free music from a slew of major and independent record labels. Music downloads will be made available in 18 countries at launch, while video downloads and rentals will only be available in the US, UK, and Canada. The full list of both video and music partnerships can be seen in the official press release.

Will RIM gain back its market share with the overhaul? Or will it manage to at least hold on to those faithful customers with its content offerings? Be sure to join us as RIM makes its case on Wednesday, January 30, with the official reveal of the new BlackBerry 10 hardware and software

Florence Ion
Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.

15 Reader Comments

I personally can't wait for BB10, although I can't decide between the Z10 and the N10. We'll find out later this week when BB10 officially launches, but this announcement can't hurt. Having more media consumption options is a fantastic thing for BlackBerry as traditionally, this hasn't been a strong suit of the platform.

I had the chance to play around with a Z10 at work (I work for a UK operator), and whilst the hardware is extremely solid on paper, in practice it ends up being a bit of a mess as a whole package.

The removable battery means the capacity is very, very low - whilst I wasn't authorised to disassemble the thing, I wouldn't expect more than 1600mah from looking at the review model. The removable back is paper thin, and is almost definitely going to snap the first time someone tries to put in a sim or SD card.

The software is definitely a huge step up for RIM/blackberry devices, but the mishmash of features from every other phone OS does not mesh well at all. The "peek" feature is barely usable since almost no applications can fit any useful data into half the screen when portrait, and when landscape almost no applications support it.

Finally, the fact that all of the blackberry services now run over carriers' own APN, whilst a major usability/administrative benefit for operators, can only lead to more doubts over the security of blackberry services. If an encrypted connection over carriers own internet gateway is fine in BB10, what was the point of the entire ecosystem built up to BB7, other than making the implementation and administration needlessly complex and expensive?

I think ARS had a review recently of the OS (and hardware as well?). I thought the battery was ~2100mah and the OS was considered generally responsive. Wonder why the anti-BB sentiments so quickly? Pre-emptive?

I think ARS had a review recently of the OS (and hardware as well?). I thought the battery was ~2100mah and the OS was considered generally responsive. Wonder why the anti-BB sentiments so quickly? Pre-emptive?

I'm sure many reviews will come out soon. The market will decide. BBs traditionally have solid equipment.

The content should help sales.

Sorry, I was just judging it by eye, as I said I wasn't authorised to disassemble it and look at the details of the battery. It's definitely possible that the battery is 2100mah, but it would mean it's recessed very heavily into the handset as the physical dimensions are very small - roughly 1/3 the total area with the back cover off. If anything, I would doubt that unless ars has personally confirmed it. The only article I found here was based on leaked specifications which don't match precisely with a lot of other leaked specifications (which peg the battery at 1800mah, which seems far more reasonable).

I wasn't intending to discredit BB10, the operating system runs extremely smoothly, but from a *functionality* standpoint, I don't feel that it does anything particularly new. In most case it basically copy-pastes features from other current smartphone OS's with no changes. Peek is definitely interesting, but until application developers get applications that properly utilise it, it ends up being no more than a gimmick. The built-in RIM applications do not make very good use of it, and if anything those should be the prime test bed for what can be done with the feature.

EDIT: One thing that interested me greatly was the emulation for many android applications. Whilst this was a niche feature on Qnx with the Playbook primarily due to the lack of tablet-scalable android applications at the time (and bugs), it makes a LOT more sense in BB10 on regular handsets. I'm fairly sure that it means features like Peek wouldn't work correctly with android apps, but it means that BB10 is off to a huge flying start in having access to even a fraction of the Android marketplace.

The only way I could see my employer going back to Blackberry would be for them to make the BES able to manage all the iPhones we switched to, and not charge for the BES version change. Also, the BES's management features would have to be sufficiently better than what we have with Exchange right now to be worth the effort of changing back.

The only way I could see my employer going back to Blackberry would be for them to make the BES able to manage all the iPhones we switched to, and not charge for the BES version change. Also, the BES's management features would have to be sufficiently better than what we have with Exchange right now to be worth the effort of changing back.

IIRC the new BES will manage both iOS devices and Android alongside the BB suite.

The new BB10 devices have this very "underdog" feeling to them for me. I think thats the only reason Im following it closely, as I have never had a BB so I have no loyalty factor involved.

The only way I could see my employer going back to Blackberry would be for them to make the BES able to manage all the iPhones we switched to, and not charge for the BES version change. Also, the BES's management features would have to be sufficiently better than what we have with Exchange right now to be worth the effort of changing back.

Wasn't there an elaborate article here on Ars, last week, I think, specifically about BES 10?

The only way I could see my employer going back to Blackberry would be for them to make the BES able to manage all the iPhones we switched to, and not charge for the BES version change. Also, the BES's management features would have to be sufficiently better than what we have with Exchange right now to be worth the effort of changing back.

1) Mobile Fusion does indeed support android and iOS alongside BB, licenses are not transferable tho (BB10 licenses and Alternate OS licenses are different)2) Server upgrade is free; and BES>BDS migration is free if you move in the fist year (I.E. they will upgrade your BES licenses to BDS licenses for any active device before end of year.

3) can't speak to this.....

(Free** I guess "Free" is subjective, pretty sure you need to be on active support for the upgrades/licenses)

Thanks for the information. I don't work with the guy that handles the BES anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if they let the support lapse on it as there are only a handful of us that are still on Blackberry.For me, the one personal app I use, Endomondo, has not had an update in ages as they seem to only be developing for IOS and Android now. The Blackberry has been OK for me, but it is just a work tool. I wouldn't mind being issued a new one, but knowing my luck, Endomondo would not be supported.

I think ARS had a review recently of the OS (and hardware as well?). I thought the battery was ~2100mah and the OS was considered generally responsive. Wonder why the anti-BB sentiments so quickly? Pre-emptive?

I'm sure many reviews will come out soon. The market will decide. BBs traditionally have solid equipment.

The content should help sales.

Sorry, I was just judging it by eye, as I said I wasn't authorised to disassemble it and look at the details of the battery. It's definitely possible that the battery is 2100mah,

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I wasn't intending to discredit BB10, the operating system runs extremely smoothly,

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EDIT: One thing that interested me greatly was the emulation for many android applications. Whilst this was a niche feature on Qnx with the Playbook primarily due to the lack of tablet-scalable android applications at the time (and bugs), it makes a LOT more sense in BB10 on regular handsets. I'm fairly sure that it means features like Peek wouldn't work correctly with android apps, but it means that BB10 is off to a huge flying start in having access to even a fraction of the Android marketplace.

I see a significant difference in tone between your first post and your second, but you still managed to follow most compliments with a disagreeing criticism/qualifier. Everything you've written, in both posts, is entirely based on speculation. You actually don't KNOW what the phones are capable of or what the app situation will be. A new OS will necessarily require tweaking after user feedback comes in. That's what updates are for.

Your posts are a hachet job.

The phones will be out in a few days. Real reviews will be posted. Look for ones that aren't partisan. Remember, price and marketing will be a BIG factor in the overall success of the product. If the phone's functionality is ~equal to Android and iPhones but is priced more like Android phones they may do very well. RIM has been doing well in the third world (a huge market) by pricing their phones aggressively.

Over here, if they take a solid 5% of the market, they'll make money, and if they get back to #3 in the world smartphone market they'll be making lots of money, since the market is so f-ing enormous. I, personally, want a third player in the market.

BB/RIM can be very successful with competitive phones. They've been working hard to substantially improve their app situation. Aren't they now vetting ~15,000 apps ported over to their OS? (Thought I saw that on ARS recently.) 70,000 are promised on launch.

As for the phones' security, they used to be the best in the business (Hence why heads of state, business and bad guys used them.) and I don't think we definitively know how good they are now. They've been FIPS certified IIRC and that doesn't apply to the rest of the players, so another speculative red herring in your first post.

As I said, in your four paragraph, seven sentence post, you managed to attack the hardware, battery, OS, apps and security. Definitely a casual post.

As much as I hate responding to this kind of thing, I really want to point out the difference between stating my own opinion regarding hardware that I had physically used, and being portrayed as some kind of smear artist against it.

I only post on topics that I both have knowledge of and an interest in. Does that make me a casual poster? Probably. Does that make my opinion immediately invalid? I sure as heck hope not. Some people post on everything they can despite their ignorance of the topic at hand or genuine interest in having discussion, and what you just claimed basically claims those kinds of people are somehow "better" than myself when I actually vet what I say and where.

The difference between our posts (yours and mine) is that I was making subjective comments regarding the hardware and software; you chose instead to make personal inferences about myself rather than trying to "debunk" or post alternate opinions to what I said.

I won't post any more about this, I just hoped you'd take from this that perhaps more thought should be made in advance of saying something, than tacking on a 5 word apology at the end of three posts to "cover your bases".